A winter chill grips Cross Lake First Nation, a remote Indigenous community north of Winnipeg. As snow blankets the landscape, children gather in a nearby building, bundled in winter coats, their cheers filling the air. They are watching two female wrestlers battle it out in a vibrant blue ring – professional wrestling has arrived on the rez.
“The Death Tour,” a 90-minute documentary directed by Stephan Peterson and co-directed by Sonya Ballantyne, chronicles a three-week wrestling tour organized and promoted by Tony Condello. For five decades, this tour has visited isolated communities in northern Manitoba during the harshest months of January and February.
The film spotlights four wrestlers: Sage Morin from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Inuk comedian Dez Loreen, Sarah McNicoll from Quebec and Canadian Hall-of-Famer Sean Dunster. While Dunster is a seasoned veteran on his 11th tour, McNicoll and Loreen are newcomers.
The tour is known to be both physically and mentally demanding, making it one of the most challenging in professional wrestling. Wrestlers must bring their own food, water and sleeping bags, often sleeping in cars or on mats in the gymnasiums or community halls where they perform.
Beyond the ring, the wrestlers give talks to students, addressing issues like bullying and drug addiction. In one scene, Morin encourages McNicoll to share her experiences with bullying, while Dunster will speak on the dangers of drugs, having lost many friends to addiction. Their talks are cut short by the school’s closure due to another death in the community.
The tour’s challenges extend beyond icy roads and freezing temperatures, as it also involves visiting Indigenous communities struggling with a suicide epidemic.
“Although I had read about the suicide epidemic among Indigenous youth, I was unprepared to experience it firsthand,” explains Peterson in a statement. “It deeply marked me and the wrestlers on the tour and changed the way I saw this film.”
At Bunibonibee Cree Nation in Oxford House, there were concerns about attendance due to recent suicides. However, as the event began, children arrived, their faces bright with excitement, many donning colorful wrestling masks.
“These are very remote, isolated Indigenous communities that have little to no entertainment,” explains Curtis Howson, a former indie wrestler. “The biggest challenge is the isolation itself. And maybe with wrestling going up there, it may just be a way to escape that.”
While wrestling offers an escape from reality, for the children, wearing the masks becomes a symbol of empowerment and identity.
Ballantyne adds that wrestling, often seen as an underdog sport, resonates deeply with Indigenous people.
“Like me, a lot of the kids in northern Manitoba have only ever seen wrestlers on television and meeting them in person is akin to meeting Santa Claus,” explains Ballantyne in a statement.
The Death Tour delivers a high-energy experience to these isolated communities. As wrestlers step into the ring, they bring more than just entertainment; they bring a sense of hope to Indigenous youth and a reminder that even in the far north, they are not alone.
For more info visit: http://www.deathtourdoc.com/see-the-film
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